All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1334

  • News

    Endgame completes new funding round

    2006-05-19T04:00:00Z

    Jim Stern's EndgameEntertainment has completed another round of financing, bringing the company'sequity to more than $100m in operating capital.The new financing will allowEndgame greater flexibility to make bigger- budget features and financethird-party projects.The private equity fundlaunched in March 2003 and has converted to a fully operational production andfinancing entity.Its co-financing ...

  • News

    ThinkFilm gets US rights to Keeping Mum

    2006-05-19T04:00:00Z

    ThinkFilm has picked up USrights to the ensemble comedy Keeping Mum, starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith and PatrickSwayze.The company plans aSeptember release on the film, which stars Atkinson as an absent-mindedvicar whose family troubles appear to be solved by the arrival of amysterious housekeeper.Keeping Mum was directed ...

  • News

    IDT ramps up production on Mean Margaret

    2006-05-19T04:00:00Z

    Ambitious IDT Entertainmentis ramping up production at its Los Angeles headquarters on its fourthCG-animated feature, Mean Margaret.The story centres on afriendship that develops between a missing young girl and a groundhogcalled Fred.Joe Piscatella and CraigWilliams adapted the screenplay from Tor Seidler's award-winning book.Jane Startz and Cheryl Aboodare serving as producers. ...

  • News

    Alpine launches domestic distribution arm with Snipes-starrer

    2006-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Alpine Picturesis launching a theatrical distribution arm and will kick off this autumn withthe release of teen thriller Love Is The Drug written by CapeFear screenwriter Wesley Strick.Darryl Hannahstars in the story of a treacherous love triangle. The Box Office Productions'thriller also stars Lizzy Caplan, John Patrick Amedori and Jenny ...

  • News

    Lionsgate bites into Daybreakers

    2006-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Lionsgate isteaming up with US-based Furst Films and New Zealand effects house WetaWorkshop on the vampire horror feature Daybreakers.Lionsgatepresident of international Nick Meyer will introduce the project to buyers herethis week and Lionsgate plans a North American release in 2007.Australianfilmmakers Peter and Michael Spierig will direct the future-set story of ...

  • News

    Devlin to make directorial debut on Ghosting

    2006-05-19T00:00:00Z

    IndependenceDay producer Dean Devlin will make his feature directorial debut on theparanormal thriller Ghosting.Devlin wrote thescript from a screenplay by Jessie Alexander and will produce with fellowElectric Entertainment partners Kearie Peak and Marc Roskin.Ghosting followsthe exploits of a recently crippled police officer who uses a technique toleave the world of ...

  • News

    Quaid to star in Eclectic's Mexico period epic El Hubris

    2006-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Dennis Quaid isset to star in Eclectic Pictures' $8.5m historical epic El Hubris,about the Pacho Villa-led Mexican invasion of the US in 1916.Heidi Jo Markel'sUS-based Eclectic is selling worldwide rights here on the project, which is 50%financed by Anthony J Tomaska and Joseph J Tomaska through Magnificent MileProductions.Quaid plays aretired ...

  • News

    Kaufman to direct space shuttle drama for Media 8

    2006-05-18T04:00:00Z

    Philip Kaufman will directMedia 8's space shuttle disaster drama Challenger with Oscar-nominated David Strathairn set to playthe lead.US-based Media 8 is sellingworldwide rights in Cannes on the project, which Media 8 will co-producein association with Code Entertainment and Carol Baum ProductionsStrathairn will play the scientistand Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman, who ...

  • News

    Peace Arch takes on Roberts' In Tranzit

    2006-05-18T04:00:00Z

    Peace Arch Films has boardedthe post-war drama In Tranzit,starring John Malkovich, and the drama How To Change In Nine Weeks.In Tranzit is currently in post-production and centres on agroup of German soldiers accidentally sent to a female-run prisoner of war campin Leningrad after the second world war.Thomas Kretschmann andDaniel Bruhl ...

  • News

    Katapult takes on sales for Puccini For Beginners

    2006-05-18T04:00:00Z

    Thomas Mai's Katapult FilmSales begins international sales in Cannes on Maria Maggenti's comedy PucciniFor Beginners, which premiered at Sundance.The film receives itsinternational market debut screening and charts the exploits of a commitment-phobicNew York lesbian.Elizabeth Reaser, JustinKirk and Gretchen Mol star.Maggenti wrote thescreenplay, and Eden Wurmfeld produced with InDigEnt's Gary Winick ...

  • News

    Goldwyn strikes US deal for Conversations With God

    2006-05-18T04:00:00Z

    Samuel Goldwyn Films hasacquired US theatrical rights from Lightning Entertainment to the spiritual filmConversations With God.Fox Home Entertainment hastaken North American video rights to theadaptation of Neale DonaldWalsch's bestselling series of books about his transformation fromhomeless person to spiritual guru.Henry Czerny stars as Walschalongside Ingrid Boulting.Goldwyn plans an autumnrelease.Stephen Simon ...

  • News

    Vision Music takes world rights to Punk's Not Dead

    2006-05-18T04:00:00Z

    Vision Music has picked upworldwide rights excluding Japan (King Records) and Scandinavia (FutureFilm) to Susan Dynner's documentary Punk's Not Dead.The film explores theorigins of punk and features interviews and footage of such luminariesof the genre as The Ramones, Black Flag, and current super group GreenDay.Punk's Not Dead is set to ...

  • News

    Schamus and Karpen promoted in Focus reshuffle

    2006-05-18T04:00:00Z

    James Schamus has been promoted to Focus Featureschief executive officer in the wake of David Linde's appointment twomonths ago as Universal Pictures co-chairman.Schamus, who shared the role of Focus co-presidentsince he founded the company with Linde in 2002, assumes oversight ofFocus, Rogue Pictures and Focus Features International (FFI).Meanwhile Andrew Karpen ...

  • News

    Lionsgate partners with Lakeshore for Midnight Train

    2006-05-18T04:00:00Z

    Lionsgate and LakeshoreEntertainment are partnering up on the horror thriller Midnight Train based on a short story by Clive Barker.Patrick Tatopoulos willdirect the tale of a New York photographer who tracks down a serial killer andunearths a devastating secret. Jeff Buhler adapted the screenplay.Lakeshore is producing theproject, its second collaboration ...

  • News

    Screen Media buys domestic rights to Disaster!

    2006-05-18T00:00:00Z

    Screen Media Films has acquired North American theatrical and video distributionrights to the claymation adventure spoof Disaster!Los Angeles-based Dream Entertainment and Bleiberg Entertainment sold therights to the story of a crack team assembled to thwart an earth-boundplanetoid.Screen Media plans an October release followed by DVD launch in February2907 through its ...

  • News

    Seven Arts to start sales for Henry Bean's Noise

    2006-05-17T04:00:00Z

    Los Angeles-based Seven ArtsInternational will commence sales here on 'a slate of new work fromdirector Henry Bean, John Malkovich and Burt Reynolds.Seven Arts is in productionin New York on Bean's black comedy Noise about a frustrated New Yorker who declares war on the city's noise. WilliamHurt, Tim Robbins and Bridget ...

  • News

    here! picks up comic strip adaptation Ethan Green

    2006-05-17T00:00:00Z

    here! Films has picked up worldwide rights to George Bamber's romanticcomedy The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life Of Ethan Green.Based on Eric Orner's cult comic strip, the project stars Daniel Letterle as asocially inept 'professional assistant' who spins a web of lies in order tohold on to the new man in ...

  • News

    Grodnik signs five-year domestic distribution agreement with Genius/TWC

    2006-05-17T00:00:00Z

    Genius Productshas signed an exclusive five-year distribution agreement with Dan Grodnik'sGrodfilm Corporation giving Genius first right of refusal on all futureproductions.Genius expects torelease six to 12 films each year under the agreement, which includes NorthAmerican home video, digital, television and theatrical rights.Theatricalreleases will be distributed through The Weinstein Company under ...

  • News

    Element closes slew of deals for Mr Brooks

    2006-05-17T00:00:00Z

    Element Films International(EFI) has closed a raft of deals on thepsychological thriller MrBrooks starring Kevin Costner in theunlikely role of a compulsive killer. The co-production of LosAngeles-based Element Films, Costner's TIGProductions and ThomasAugsberger's Eden Rock Media is currentlyshooting in the US.Bruce A Evans directs thestory of a jaded killer pursued ...

  • News

    Tillinger named production president at Scorsese's Sikelia

    2006-05-17T00:00:00Z

    Emma Tillinger has been named president of production for MartinScorsese's New York-based Sikelia Productions.Tillinger will oversee all aspects of Scorsese's production operation and workwith him on the development of projects.Scorsese is currently in post-production on The Departed starring LeonardoDiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg, which will be releasedby ...